As an alternate sensor, one might consider the US Digital MA3, which has a much smaller dead band (it is pretty minuscule.) They are a little more expensive, though, at around $40+. However, you can get a ball-bearing version that can sustain higher rotational speeds.
http://www.usdigital.com/products/en...ary/shaft/ma3/
This is what we like to use for certain things on 461. I found out about them when asking some folks on 469 about their swerve drive a few years back.
I guess my method of dealing with dead bands is avoiding them entirely if possible!